Green box meeting is set for May 29
Faith Brynie | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 11 years, 6 months AGO
For over a year, we have been trying to persuade Flathead County officials to keep green box waste collection sites open in rural areas. We argue that closing collection sites will constitute a tax increase, as the solid waste fee will remain the same but collection services will be removed.
The result will be litter all over our roads and forests, huge increases in costs for driving longer distances to transport garbage, major environmental impacts in air pollution and fossil fuel use, and increased safety issues, with more traffic and drivers on roads posted at 70 mph.
Nothing has been resolved, but Flathead County has agreed to give citizens an opportunity to speak about the issue. There is one — and only one — meeting scheduled. It is Thursday, May 29, at 10 a.m., Foy’s Community Center in Herron Park, Kalispell.
A big turnout for that meeting is our only way to let the county know how important our green box sites are to us. Please, will you join me there?
Faith Brynie, Bigfork
ARTICLES BY FAITH BRYNIE
Let the county know your opinion on closing Bigfork's dump site
I just spent a frustrating half hour on the phone with Jim, a director at the Flathead County Landfill who recited to me numerous reasons why he intends to close the Bigfork dumpsite on Montana 83. His main argument is that the site gets a lot of use. Really? It would seem to me that heavy use would be an argument for expanding/improving/maintaining the site — not closing it. Jim cites numerous convenience and efficiency reasons for the closure — but the conveniences and efficiencies are all his. More driving time, more gasoline use, more air pollution, more traffic, more accidents — all consequences of closing the Bigfork site and forcing us to travel to Creston or Somers for waste disposal — are not considered in Jim’s “consolidation” plan. He tells me that no one has voiced an objection to the county commissioners. I urge Bigfork residents to change that. If you feel we need a dumpsite, make your voice heard. Call Jim at 758-5910 and the commissioners at 758-5503.
Let the county know your opinion on closing Bigfork's dump site
I just spent a frustrating half hour on the phone with Jim, a director at the Flathead County Landfill who recited to me numerous reasons why he intends to close the Bigfork dumpsite on Montana 83. His main argument is that the site gets a lot of use. Really? It would seem to me that heavy use would be an argument for expanding/improving/maintaining the site — not closing it. Jim cites numerous convenience and efficiency reasons for the closure — but the conveniences and efficiencies are all his. More driving time, more gasoline use, more air pollution, more traffic, more accidents — all consequences of closing the Bigfork site and forcing us to travel to Creston or Somers for waste disposal — are not considered in Jim’s “consolidation” plan. He tells me that no one has voiced an objection to the county commissioners. I urge Bigfork residents to change that. If you feel we need a dumpsite, make your voice heard. Call Jim at 758-5910 and the commissioners at 758-5503.
Let the county know your opinion on closing Bigfork's dump site
I just spent a frustrating half hour on the phone with Jim, a director at the Flathead County Landfill who recited to me numerous reasons why he intends to close the Bigfork dumpsite on Montana 83. His main argument is that the site gets a lot of use. Really? It would seem to me that heavy use would be an argument for expanding/improving/maintaining the site — not closing it. Jim cites numerous convenience and efficiency reasons for the closure — but the conveniences and efficiencies are all his. More driving time, more gasoline use, more air pollution, more traffic, more accidents — all consequences of closing the Bigfork site and forcing us to travel to Creston or Somers for waste disposal — are not considered in Jim’s “consolidation” plan. He tells me that no one has voiced an objection to the county commissioners. I urge Bigfork residents to change that. If you feel we need a dumpsite, make your voice heard. Call Jim at 758-5910 and the commissioners at 758-5503.